How to remove weknow.ac browser hijacker from Mac?

What is weknow.ac?

Similar to chumsearch.com, weknow.ac is a fake web search engine that supposedly enhances the browsing experience by generating improved results. Judging on appearance alone, weknow.ac may seem legitimate and useful, however, this site is promoted using rogue download/installation set-ups that modify browser options without permission. Furthermore, weknow.ac continually records information relating to users' Internet browsing activity.

Rogue set-ups target Safari, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome. Following infiltration, they assign the new tab URL, default search engine and homepage browser options to weknow.ac These changes may seem insignificant, but users are unable to revert them. Set-ups install a number of third party applications and browser plug-ins (so-called "helper objects"). These apps/add-ons are used to reassign browser options when attempts are made to change them. Therefore, returning browsers to their previous states becomes impossible and users are encouraged to visit weknow.ac when they open a new browser tab or search via the URL bar. This significantly diminishes the web browsing experience. Information tracking is also a problem. Research shows that "helper objects" and weknow.ac continually record information relating to browsing activity. Collected data (IP addresses, website URLs visited, pages viewed, search queries, etc.) is often shared with third parties (potentially, cyber criminals). These people misuse private information to generate revenue. Therefore, data tracking can lead to serious privacy issues or even identity theft. If you encounter redirects to weknow.ac, immediately eliminate all dubious applications and browser plug-ins. Never return to this website.

Free scanner checks if your computer is infected. To remove malware, you have to purchase the full version of Spyhunter.

The Internet is full of fake web search engines that share similarities with weknow.ac including g-search.pro, search.altagit.com, and search.stosgame.com - these are just some examples from many. By offering improved results and various other "useful features", fake search engines attempt to give the impression of legitimacy, however, these sites have only one real purpose: to generate revenue for the developers. Rather than giving any real value for regular users, sites such as weknow.ac cause unwanted redirects and gather sensitive information. Some even generate false results and intrusive advertisements that lead to gambling, adult dating, pornography, and other dubious websites. Therefore, using fake search engines can result in various computer infections.

How did weknow.ac install on my computer?

As mentioned above, weknow.ac is promoted using browser-hijacking download/installation set-ups. This marketing method is called "bundling". Developers know that users often rush download/installation processes and skip steps. Therefore, all information regarding modification of browser settings is hidden within "Custom/Advanced" options (or other sections) of the download/installation processes. By rushing and skipping steps, many users inadvertently grant set-ups permission to perform changes, thus exposing their systems to risk of various infections and compromising their privacy.

How to avoid installation of potentially unwanted applications?

The main reasons for computer infections are poor knowledge and careless behavior. The key to safety is caution. Therefore, pay close attention when browsing the Internet and downloading/installing software. Carefully analyze each window of the download/installation dialogs and opt-out of all additionally-included programs. You are advised to download your programs from official sources only, using direct download links. Third party downloaders/installers often include rogue apps, and thus these tools should not be used. Furthermore, potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) are distributed using intrusive advertisements that redirect to malicious sites and execute scripts designed to download PUPs/malware. Most of these ads may seem legitimate, but they typically lead to dubious websites (gambling, pornography, adult dating, etc.) Research shows they are typically delivered by adware-type PUPs. If you experience suspicious redirects, immediately eliminate all dubious applications and browser plug-ins. If your computer is already infected with browser hijackers, we recommend running a scan with
Spyhunter for Windows to automatically eliminate this browser hijacker and others.

IMPORTANT NOTE! Rogue setups that promote the weknow.ac website are designed to create a new device profile. Therefore, before taking any further removal steps, perform these actions:1) Click the "Preferences" icon in the menu bar and select "Profiles"

After performing these actions, you can proceed with further removal steps for this browser hijacker.

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weknow.ac redirect removal:

Click the Finder icon. In the Finder window, select “Applications”. In the applications folder, look for “MPlayerX”,“NicePlayer”, or other suspicious applications and drag them to the Trash. After removing the potentially unwanted application(s) that cause online ads, scan your Mac for any remaining unwanted components.

Free scanner checks if your computer is infected. To remove malware, you have to purchase the full version of Spyhunter.

Remove weknow.ac browser hijacker related files and folders:

Click the Finder icon, from the menu bar, choose Go, and click Go to Folder...

Check for adware-generated files in the /Library/LaunchAgents folder:

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/LaunchAgents

In the “LaunchAgents” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - “installmac.AppRemoval.plist”, “myppes.download.plist”, “mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist”, “kuklorest.update.plist”, etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the same string.

Check for adware-generated files in the /Library/Application Support folder:

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/Application Support

In the “Application Support” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious folders. For example, “MplayerX” or “NicePlayer”, and move these folders to the Trash.

Check for adware-generated files in the ~/Library/LaunchAgents folder:

In the Go to Folder bar, type: ~/Library/LaunchAgents

In the “LaunchAgents” folder, look for any recently-added suspicious files and move them to the Trash. Examples of files generated by adware - “installmac.AppRemoval.plist”, “myppes.download.plist”, “mykotlerino.ltvbit.plist”, “kuklorest.update.plist”, etc. Adware commonly installs several files with the same string.

Check for adware-generated files in the /Library/LaunchDaemons folder:

In the Go to Folder... bar, type: /Library/LaunchDaemons

In the “LaunchDaemons” folder, look for recently-added suspicious files. For example, “com.aoudad.net-preferences.plist”, “com.myppes.net-preferences.plist”, "com.kuklorest.net-preferences.plist”, “com.avickUpd.plist”, etc., and move them to the Trash.

Scan your Mac with Combo Cleaner:

If you have followed all the steps in the correct order you Mac should be clean of infections. To be sure your system is not infected run a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus. Download it HERE. After downloading the file double click combocleaner.dmg installer, in the opened window drag and drop Combo Cleaner icon on top of the Applications icon. Now open your launchpad and click on the Combo Cleaner icon. Wait until Combo Cleaner updates it's virus definition database and click "Start Combo Scan" button.

Combo Cleaner will scan your Mac for malware infections. If the antivirus scan displays "no threats found" - this means that you can continue with the removal guide, otherwise it's recommended to remove any found infections before continuing.

After removing files and folders generated by the adware, continue to remove rogue extensions from your Internet browsers.

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Remove weknow.ac browser hijacker related Safari extensions:

Open Safari browser. From the menu bar, select "Safari" and click "Preferences...".

In the preferences window, select "Extensions" and look for any recently-installed suspicious extensions. When located, click the "Uninstall" button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Safari browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

Change your homepage:

In the "Preferences" window, select the "General" tab. To set your homepage, type the preferred website URL (for example: www.google.com) in the Homepage field. You can also click the “Set to Current Page” button if you wish to set your homepage to the website you are currently visiting.

If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Safari.

Remove malicious plug-ins from Mozilla Firefox:

Remove weknow.ac browser hijacker related Mozilla Firefox add-ons:

Open your Mozilla Firefox browser. At the top right corner of the screen, click the "Open Menu" (three horizontal lines) button. From the opened menu, choose "Add-ons".

Choose the "Extensions" tab and look for any recently-installed suspicious add-ons. When located, click the "Remove" button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Mozilla Firefox browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

In the URL address bar, type "about:config" and click the "I'll be careful, I promise!" button.

In the "Search:" field, type the name of the browser hijacker. Right click on each of the found preferences and click "Reset" from the drop-down menu.

If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Mozilla Firefox.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Remove weknow.ac browser hijacker related Google Chrome add-ons:

Open Google Chrome and click the "Chrome menu" (three horizontal lines) button located in the top-right corner of the browser window. From the drop-down menu, choose "More Tools" and select "Extensions".

In the "Extensions" window, look for any recently-installed suspicious add-ons. When located, click the "Trash" button next to it/them. Note that you can safely uninstall all extensions from your Google Chrome browser - none are crucial for normal browser operation.

Change your homepage:

Click the "Chrome menu" (three horizontal lines) button and choose "Settings". In the "On Startup" section, click the "Set pages" link near to the "Open a specific page or set of pages" option. Remove the URL of the browser hijacker (for example trovi.com) and enter your preferred URL (for example, google.com).

Change default search engine:

Click the "Chrome menu" (three horizontal lines) button and choose "Settings". In the "Search" section, click the "Manage search engines..." button. In the opened window, remove the unwanted Internet search engine by clicking the "X" button next to it. Select your preferred Internet search engine from the list and click the "Make default" button next to it.

If you continue to have problems with browser redirects and unwanted advertisements - Reset Google Chrome.

I am passionate about computer security and technology. I have an experience of 10 years working in various companies related to computer technical issue solving and Internet security. I have been working as an editor for pcrisk.com since 2010. Follow me on Twitter to stay informed about the latest online security threats.

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